I completely agree with tango , iraq can’t buy the su57 for the simple fact we don’t have the hangers that can handle it. In order to keep the stealth coating the hangers need to be trumpeter regulated . It needs the coat to be applied every few months. Iraq doesn’t have that maintenance mind set to handle it not yet at least. The operating costs will kill the aircraft.

However we see the true value of expensive SAMs in today's Houthi attack on the Saudi De-sulphurisation facility! Tens of billions in missiles and radars etc... and 50% of their oil production was shut down by $20,000 worth of drones!

in an earlier attack the houthis attacked patriot radars with drones... then fired their ballistic missiles at the area! such sophistication from khat chewing mountain dwellers? Imagine what Iran, Israel or Turkey could do to the $7Bn of SAMs Iraq would buy...

tango. like i said, i wasn't "serious" about KN-15s (the international political fallout would be massive).

what I did suggest is

" It would be far cheaper if Iraq simply increased the number of cheap point defence systems for individual sites and bought some very high performance fighter interceptors to cover the wide desert and border regions."

I suspect that by buynig something like S-400s, the iraqi parliament would be put into the false sense of security that iraq's airspace is now "safe" and thus will refuse to fund far more necessary systems like decent interceptors, AEW assets and UCAVs.

when you have a combination of vast empty desert regions, and highly concentrated urban/industrial environments, its almost impossible to give accurate low altitude defence across the country... and the high altitude systems would maybe help protect against ballistic missiles (from Iran) which is always a headache... but statistically it would be difficult to protect against a large salvo even if you had 2 battalions of S400s defending baghdad.

It is already known that when attacking the Saudi Aramco refinery, a total of 25 weapons were used: 18 drones and 7 cruise missiles. And almost all of them struck the intended goals with filigree accuracy. At a specially convened press conference in Riyadh, the Saudi military directly blamed not the Yemeni rebels for this terrorist act, but Iran itself. What might be the answer of Saudi Arabia and why the air defense system of this country was unable to repel aggression in an interview with Alexei Khazbiev for the magazine Expert, said the deputy director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies Konstantin Makienko .

- American intelligence has counted at least two dozen direct hits in oil refineries in Abkayk and Khurais. Why did Saudi Arabian air defense miss such a massive blow without knocking down a single weapon?

- The first is the effect of surprise. The Hussites accustomed the Saudis to regular ballistic missile strikes at military facilities and airports, including Riyadh, but they almost did not touch the Saudi oil infrastructure. And thus, they introduced the Saudi military into a strategic fallacy. Secondly, Saudi Arabia does not have a layered air defense system. And the one that is built on the American model. Its main feature is the presence of only two segments: long-range complexes such as Patriot PAC2 / 3 - and MANPADS. But if in the USA such an architecture is logical, because the air defense of this country and its European partners is provided by aviation, which almost always operates under the dominance of the air, then in the case of Saudi Arabia this option is obviously not suitable. They lack mid-range systems - S-350 or Buk-M3. And the third - UAV - is a very difficult target for air defense. There is almost no metal there, so modern drones are extremely difficult to detect and identify. If the designers of anti-aircraft systems learn to deal with cruise missiles from the eighties of the last century, then with inconspicuous strike drones - only from the middle of the two thousandth. But the most important thing is that proliferation has recently occurred: UAVs are now available not only in the arsenal of developed countries, but also among rebels, terrorist groups, and indeed anyone else. This state of affairs is explained by the extremely low cost of such devices - only a few hundred dollars. Despite the fact that the price of one missile complex Patriot PAC3 reaches $ 5 million. It turns out

In fact, what we saw in Saudi Arabia is a kind of revolution in military affairs, comparable if not with Pearl Harbor, then in any case with the raid of British aircraft on Taranto. This is a milestone event that makes us take a different look at the problem of protecting critical infrastructure. The question arises of finding new and most importantly cheap technological means of fighting UAVs that will not ruin the defending side. And this is the main challenge, including for Russia.

- What kind of funds can this be? Laser systems and railgun guns?

“And that too.” But first of all, electronic warfare means that suppress or distort the signals of navigation systems. The accuracy of the defeat mainly depends on the accuracy of navigation. If we take it on faith that UAVs took off from Yemen from the territory controlled by the Hussites, then they needed to fly about a thousand kilometers to their targets in Saudi Arabia. It is clear that with such a range, a Yemeni drone should be able to receive a signal from some global positioning system (like GPS or GLONASS), or have an autonomous navigation system. But in the latter case, this immediately makes such a device much more complicated and more expensive. Nevertheless, the problem of disabling UAV navigation is quite successfully solved by the so-called GPS jammers. These are pretty cheap jammers, which were used during the second Gulf War in 2003. The Iraqis then did not understand the significance of this equipment, but this equipment was offered to them by friendly countries on the eve of the war.

- And what about the electronic warfare equipment with us?

- There is an opinion that Russia is almost a world leader in this area. Of course, we do not know the real state of things. But if you remember, then about two years ago, many drivers noticed that their car navigators were not working near the Kremlin or were constantly reporting a malfunction: instead of the center of Moscow, these devices showed a map of Vnukovo Airport. That is, the car, judging by the navigator, was on the runway. This means that the Kremlin is protected - very effective electronic warfare systems are working around it. Of course, our country should use the situation in Saudi Arabia to advertise Russian radio-electronic equipment, offer it for export along with new air defense systems. It is already clear that the fight against unauthorized intrusion of UAVs should be complex. That is, include electronic warfare, fire weapons, continuous search and destruction of the enemy’s starting positions, electronic intelligence. And of course, the development of weapons based on new physical principles - those same railguns and lasers. But besides all this, objects can be closed in a purely mechanical way.

- What is it like?

- For example, in Nagorno-Karabakh there are very difficult zones that cannot be covered by air defense systems - these are gorges in the mountains. When a helicopter or a subsonic plane enters such gorges, it is almost impossible to detect them. Emerging from the gorge, such an attack aircraft can inflict a surprise blow on Stepanakert. So, the Armenians simply blocked these gorges with metal cables and even seemed to have shot down one aircraft in this way. Cheap, simple and effective.

As for objects such as refineries, they can be completely mechanically protected, among other things, also with barrage balloons and cables stretched between them, as was done during the Second World War. Moreover, between these balloons it is also possible to pull cables, networks and so on.

- Our military base Khmeimim in Syria was almost the first to face an attack by enemy artillery UAVs at the beginning of last year, when two Su-35 fighters were damaged or even destroyed. How did we solve the issue of protecting this base?

- For almost a year there has been no information on Syria. If earlier we were told almost every day in the news about the number of sorties, which attacks were delivered and where, now all this kind of information is very carefully filtered, not to mention the losses. It is clear that there are short-range and short-range air defense systems - "Tor" and "Carapace", which cover the S-400. Of course, there are electronic warfare, all kinds of jammers and so on. So, most likely, Russia was able to build an effective system of object defense against UAVs around Khmeimim. In general, we can assume that Russia today has the world's largest experience in combating cheap and deadly UAVs.

- The first thing that catches your eye when looking at pictures of factories in Abkayk and Khurais is the amazing accuracy of the blows. However, everyone knows that the Hussites still did not have cruise missiles with a flight range of more than a thousand kilometers, as well as UAVs capable of covering such distances ...

- The accuracy of hitting targets is really impressive. But we must understand that we do not have reliable information and cannot confidently say where all these weapons came from. In principle, almost everything that was shown on TV can be called into question. Moreover, it could well be a combined operation, and targets on the ground were highlighted or even amazed by saboteurs. But if the Hussites really did this, launching their cruise missiles and UAVs from Yemen, then of course, they used those or other developments and technologies that Iran has.

- Iran over the past six years has achieved notable success in creating ballistic missiles, having developed at least three new models. But things aren’t brilliant with cruise missiles ...

- In general, the idea of ​​Iran as an obscurantist theocracy is deeply erroneous. To some extent, this is a very progressive regime, and their engineering culture is far from as poor as it might seem at first glance. Despite the fact that it is a very isolated country, for example, an impressive fleet of F-14 fighters is still operating there. And this despite the fact that since 1979 there is no technical support for these aircraft from the manufacturer. Even under the Shah in Iran, a very serious engineering and design potential was laid, which in one form or another continues to develop. And doctors, teachers, engineers and designers are the most prestigious and highly paid professions.

- What is the likelihood that the situation will develop into an armed conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran?

- The Saudi establishment - people are proud and arrogant. They were brutally humiliated, and done so publicly. And it is clear to everyone that they are simply obliged to answer the challenge. In other words, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must show the world that he is a powerful man who manages the situation and can defend his country. If he does not, then he is unlikely to ever be able to take the throne. But another thing is obvious: despite the first-class technical equipment, the armed forces of the kingdom alone are not capable of a large-scale military operation against Iran. So, in any case, they will have to attract the USA.

- And how will they pay the United States with Washington? Increase the purchase of military equipment by another couple of tens of billions of dollars?

- This is the easiest way, it opens up enormous opportunities for corruption and allows you to take into account the personal interests of the people involved in this business from both sides. By the way, in the last year's package of arms contracts for $ 110 billion, which Trump so widely advertised, about a third fall on new air defense systems, including the Patriot PAC3, one battery of which costs a billion dollars.

- But no matter what air defense systems the Saudis purchase, it looks very likely that this will not greatly strengthen their air defense system. Over the past 2 years, the Hussites have inflicted about a hundred air strikes on Saudi Arabia, but the means of destruction shot down by local military forces can be counted on the fingers ...

“But there is nothing new here.” The Saudis have repeatedly demonstrated their complete helplessness. If you dress the Bedouin in NATO trousers and give him Patriot PAC3 instead of a karamultuk, qualitative changes will not happen.

- What could be the answer of the Saudis?

“They have magnificent Air Force, armed with about a hundred and a half fourth-generation F-15 fighters and about 70 Eurofighter Typhoon.” And they may well use this entire group to strike at Iran. If this happens, then we will be able to personally witness the combat work of the Iranian S-300 and Tor-M1. Moreover, it is highly likely that this work will be productive - almost certainly they will knock someone. For a long time, Iran should bring the entire air defense system of the country into full combat readiness, and, of course, cover first of all the oil infrastructure facilities and seaports. They are the most likely target of the Saudi strike.

- Amir Ali Hajizade, Commander of the videoconferencing corps of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, has already stated that Tehran is ready for war and intends to attack all US carrier groups and military bases located within a radius of 2 thousand kilometers from Iranian territory in case of an attack. According to our estimates, Iran has about 500 medium-range missiles, which are enough not only to attack the US Air Force and Navy in the region, but also to destroy almost all of the oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia ...

- And this is the main deterrent. In fact, a big war is not beneficial to Trump, or Iran, or Saudi Arabia. But it’s hard for me to say how rationally Mohammed bin Salman himself will act in the current domestic political situation in his kingdom.

“Is this a hint of a possible palace coup?”

“Anything can really happen there.” Do not forget that at least three people can really claim the Saudi throne. And Prince Mohammed is far from the most legitimate of them. He became the heir only thanks to the strong-willed decision of King Salman, after he changed the rules of succession to the throne. But what did Prince Mohammed do? He began the war in Yemen, which does not see any end or edge. The fighting has already spread to the territory of Saudi Arabia - the Hussites regularly make forays into the border provinces, destroy Saudi patrols, burn roadblocks, bombard Riyadh and other cities with their missiles. These are all tactical successes of Yemenis, but they are very painfully perceived by the Saudis. It turns out that all of this blue-blooded army armed with cutting-edge technology cannot cope with some peasants. And the Saudi coalition that is fighting against the Hussites is bursting at the seams - the UAE has already begun to play its game and openly expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of Saudi Arabia. But that's not all. Relations with Qatar are completely spoiled. And all Saudi attempts to impose a total blockade against this country failed miserably - Qatar not only agreed with the United States, but also very successfully opposed Saudi Arabia in Libya. Finally, one can recall the statements of Prince Mohammed four years ago, when he, while still the Minister of Defense, promised to throw the Russians out of Syria in three days. But in the end, King Salman himself had to intervene in the situation, who personally went to Moscow to Vladimir Putin to resolve all issues. which is fighting against the Hussites bursting at the seams - the UAE has already begun to play its game and openly expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of Saudi Arabia. But that's not all. Relations with Qatar are completely spoiled. And all Saudi attempts to impose a total blockade against this country failed miserably - Qatar not only agreed with the United States, but also very successfully opposed Saudi Arabia in Libya. Finally, one can recall the statements of Prince Mohammed four years ago, when he, while still the Minister of Defense, promised to throw the Russians out of Syria in three days. But in the end, King Salman himself had to intervene in the situation, who personally went to Moscow to Vladimir Putin to resolve all issues. which is fighting against the Hussites bursting at the seams - the UAE has already begun to play its game and openly expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of Saudi Arabia. But that's not all. Relations with Qatar are completely spoiled. And all Saudi attempts to impose a total blockade against this country failed miserably - Qatar not only agreed with the United States, but also very successfully opposed Saudi Arabia in Libya. Finally, one can recall the statements of Prince Mohammed four years ago, when he, while still the Minister of Defense, promised to throw the Russians out of Syria in three days. But in the end, King Salman himself had to intervene in the situation, who personally went to Moscow to Vladimir Putin to resolve all issues. And all Saudi attempts to impose a total blockade against this country failed miserably - Qatar not only agreed with the United States, but also very successfully opposed Saudi Arabia in Libya. Finally, one can recall the statements of Prince Mohammed four years ago, when he, while still the Minister of Defense, promised to throw the Russians out of Syria in three days. But in the end, King Salman himself had to intervene in the situation, who personally went to Moscow to Vladimir Putin to resolve all issues. And all Saudi attempts to impose a total blockade against this country failed miserably - Qatar not only agreed with the United States, but also very successfully opposed Saudi Arabia in Libya. Finally, one can recall the statements of Prince Mohammed four years ago, when he, while still the Minister of Defense, promised to throw the Russians out of Syria in three days. But in the end, King Salman himself had to intervene in the situation, who personally went to Moscow to Vladimir Putin to resolve all issues.

Another important point is the confrontation of elites within the kingdom. It was on the orders of Prince Mohammed a year and a half ago that the kingdom authorities arrested several dozen of his billionaire relatives, who were forced to part with their property in exchange for freedom.

In other words, we see one failure after another. And all would be fine, but the Crown Prince offended too many. And the queue didn’t go anywhere on the throne - it stands and there is fermentation. Of course, I do not know all the alignments in this kingdom, but I think that the other heirs have something to present to Prince Mohammed.

- If hostilities do begin, Iran and Yemen will surely try to raise an uprising in the eastern provinces of Saudi Arabia, populated mainly by Shiites. But can they count on success?

- This is the first thing that comes to mind in this situation. But large-scale Shiite uprisings in eastern Saudi Arabia have not been observed recently. This suggests that either the Saudi secret services are working very well there, or the Iranians are very carefully hiding their intelligence network. It is no secret that dozens, if not hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from the eastern province travel to Iran, primarily to Qum. The theological school in this city is considered among the Shiites the second most important after the school in Iraqi Najaf. In addition, it is in Qom that most Shiite spiritual leaders live. And of course, the vast majority of Saudi Shiites are somehow loyal to Iran and, in a certain situation, can openly stand on its side. But most likely Iran saved this trump card in case of war. This is their ultima ratio.